Scripture:
2 Chronicles 24:1-4 ESV
[1] Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. [2] And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest. [3] Jehoiada got two wives for him, and he had sons and daughters. [4] After this, Joash decided to restore the house of the Lord.
Observation:
It was hard to choose the SOAP this morning. My desire is to encourage every morning. Sometimes, I find that a little bit difficult. Over and over in the bible, we read about kings who did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. So when we find one that did the right thing, not only is it rare, but it should also be discussed. I find it no surprise that this king was only 7 when he came into power. However, at 7, he also did what was right in the LORD’S eyes. This is a testimony to childlike faith. Although I know he had guidance from the priests. He was still the one calling the shots. His first decision was to restore the house of the LORD after finding that the priests had not taken the direction he had given. He found another way and still made it happen. By paying the carpenters directly, the work got done. The project moved forward. The wisdom this little boy showed was amazing to me. He saw the issues and fixed them. After a lifetime of doing what was right in the sight of the LORD. The very next king came in and tore it all down. That’s the disappointing part.
Application:
Train a child in the way it should go, and when it is old, it will not part from it. I believe we need to lead our children to faith. There are so many ways I could go with this SOAP. I could talk about tithing and the importance of it. Or what does it mean to be a good steward of the house of GOD, and even how your tithe goes to support that? But I think what I would like to talk about is a 7-year-old boy who wanted to please the LORD with the way he did things. This is how we need to be training our children. To chase after the LORD. To see problems and overcome them. To look at adversity and find solutions. We have a society that gives participation trophies. This does not teach children how to overcome issues. It’s in fact breading a generation of Arabs. People who, when they don’t get their way, will cry and complain until they do. Only to find out that it doesn’t work well. I remember when I was learning how to ride a bike. The time I put in the careful thought about balancing and pedaling and turning all at the same time. Tge first wreck, and how I cried. But I didn’t let that stop me. I didn’t blame it on the bike. I simply got back on and tried again with the mindset of I’m going to figure this out. The cool thing about this is I got to watch my daughter learn how to ride a bike a few years ago. I remember her first wreck and how she cried. Her skinned-up knees. But she did not let that wreck stop her she got back up and did it again. She found a way to overcome. Now she rides like a pro. If there is one thing I hope to teach her, it’s not to stop trying. If you have time, go back and read the scripture before and after where the LORD stopped me, and you will see a young boy who got back on the bike after he skinned up his knees. Needless to say, I am so proud of my little girl she didn’t give up, and neither will I.
Prayer:
Father, help us to press on. We know that we won’t do it perfectly the first time. But with you, we can keep on trying. We never want to do anything that does not bring you honor and glory. Let us be good stewards of your house and our own. After all, it’s all yours anyway. Let us contribute to the maintenance and upkeep of the building you gave us to gather in as like-minded believers. We honestly just want to thank you for the leaders that you put in front of us who serve you with their whole hearts, and we pray that you would give them and us a fresh anointing and passion for your ways it’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen.